Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T22:19:37.042Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Academic literacy across the curriculum: Towards a collaborative instructional approach

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2016

Ursula Wingate
Ursula Wingate*
Affiliation:
King's College London, [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

I respond to the conference theme ‘English across the Curriculum’ by suggesting that ‘Academic literacy’ should be taught across the curriculum. I first explain the concept of academic literacy, which describes the range of abilities that students have to acquire when starting out in a new academic discipline. I then discuss the dominant instructional provision at universities. As this provision fails to address students’ real learning needs, I argue for curriculum-integrated academic literacy instruction that is based on the collaboration between English for academic purposes (EAP) specialists and subject lecturers. I provide examples of collaborative, discipline-specific approaches to supporting student learning, and present some insights from an intervention study that I have carried out to explore feasible ways of teaching and collaboration. Finally, I discuss the need for lecturer training to achieve a curriculum-integrated approach, and report on my experience of running a professional development module which aimed to enable lecturers to embed academic literacy development into their teaching practice.

Type
Plenary Speeches
Information
Language Teaching , Volume 51 , Issue 3 , July 2018 , pp. 349 - 364
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arkoudis, S. & Starfield, S. (2007). In-course English language development and support. Canberra: Australian Education International.Google Scholar
Benesch, S. (2001). Critical English for academic purposes. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Bloor, M. & Bloor, T. (1986). Languages for specific purposes: Practice and theory. CLCS Occasional Papers 19. Dublin: Trinity College, Centre for Language and Communication Studies.Google Scholar
Bruner, J. (1966). Towards a theory of instruction. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Carless, D. (2006). Differing perceptions in the feedback process. Studies in Higher Education 31.2, 219–233.Google Scholar
Dann, C. (2008). From where I sit: A sad loss of literacy down under. Times Higher Education 11 September 2008.Google Scholar
Dobson, B. & Feak, C. (2001). A cognitive modelling approach to teaching critique writing to non-native speakers. In Belcher, D. & Hirvela, A. (eds.), Linking literacies: Perspectives on L2 reading-writing connections. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 186–199.Google Scholar
Duff, P. (2007). Second language socialisation as sociocultural theory: Insights and issues. Language Teaching 40, 309–319.Google Scholar
Durkin, K. & Main, A. (2002). Discipline-based study skills support for first-year undergraduate students. Active Learning in Higher Education 3.1, 24–39.Google Scholar
Edward, N. (2003). First impressions last. Active Learning in Higher Education 4.3, 226–242.Google Scholar
Foster, S. & Deane, M. (2011). Enhancing students’ legal writing. In Deane, M. & O'Neill, P. (eds.), Writing in the disciplines. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 88–102.Google Scholar
Gardner, S. (2012). Genres and registers of student report writing: An SFL perspective on texts and practices. Journal of English for Specific Purposes 11, 52–63.Google Scholar
Hirvela, A. & Du, Q. (2013). ‘Why am I paraphrasing?’ Undergraduate ESL writers' engagement with source-based academic writing and reading. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 12.2, 87–98.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Horner, B. (2014). Writing in the disciplines/writing across the curriculum. In Leung, C. & Street, B. (eds.), The Routledge companion to English studies. London, New York: Routledge, 405–418.Google Scholar
Hyland, K. (2004). Genre and second language writing. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Hyland, K. (2008). Genre and academic writing in the disciplines. Language Teaching 41.4, 543–562.Google Scholar
Jacobs, C. (2005). On being an insider on the outside: New spaces for integrating academic literacies. Teaching in Higher Education 10.4, 475–487.Google Scholar
Jenkins, J. & Wingate, U. (2015). Staff and student perceptions of English language policies and practices in ‘international’ universities: A UK case study. Higher Education Review 47.2, 47–73.Google Scholar
Johns, A. M. (2008). Genre awareness for the novice academic student: An ongoing quest. Language Teaching 41.2, 237–252.Google Scholar
Johns, A. M. (2011). The future of genre in L2 writing: Fundamental, but contested, instructional decisions. Journal of Second Language Writing 20, 56–68.Google Scholar
Lea, M. & Street, B. (1998). Student writing in higher education: An Academic Literacies approach. Studies in Higher Education 23.2, 157–172.Google Scholar
Lillis, T. M. & Scott, M. (2007). Defining Academic Literacies research: Issues of epistemology, ideology and strategy. Journal of Applied Linguistics 4.1, 5–32.Google Scholar
Lillis, T. M. & Turner, J. (2001). Student writing in higher education: Contemporary confusion, traditional concerns. Teaching in Higher Education 6.1, 57–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lillis, T. M., Harrington, K., Lea, M. & Mitchell, S. (eds.) (2015). Working with academic literacies: Case studies towards transformative practice. Colorado: The WAC Clearinghouse.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martin, J. R. & Rose, D. (2008). Genre relations: Mapping culture. London, Oakville: Equinox.Google Scholar
McCulloch, S. (2013). Investigating the reading-to-write processes and source use of L2 postgraduate students in real-life academic tasks: An exploratory study. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 12, 136–147.Google Scholar
Morley, J. (2008). Writing support in British higher education: An institutional case study. In Friedrich, P. (ed.), Teaching academic writing. London: Continuum, 125–146.Google Scholar
Nesi, H. & Gardner, S. (2012). Genres across disciplines: Student writing in higher education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Review, Nuffield (2006). Higher education focus groups preliminary report. The Nuffield Review of 14–19. Oxford: University of Oxford.Google Scholar
Owen, M. (2002). ‘Sometimes you feel you're in niche time!’ The personal tutor system: A case study. Active Learning in Higher Education 3.1, 7–23.Google Scholar
Paxton, M. (2011). How do we play the genre game in preparing students at the advanced undergraduate level for research writing? Teaching in Higher Education 16.1, 53–64.Google Scholar
Purser, E. (2011). Developing academic literacy in context: Trends in Australia. In Deane, M. & O'Neill, P. (eds.), Writing in the disciplines. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 30–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Purser, E., Skillen, J., Deane, M., Donohue, J. & Peake, K. (2008). Developing academic literacy in context. Zeitschrift Schreiben. www.zeitschrift-schreiben.eu/cgi-bin/joolma/index.php?option+com_wrapper&Itemid+26 (last accessed 10 January 2016).Google Scholar
Ravelli, L. J. (2004). Signalling the organisation of written texts: Hyper-Themes in management and history essays. In Ravelli, L. J. & Ellis, R. (eds.), Analysing academic writing. London: Continuum, 104–130.Google Scholar
Rothery, J. (1996). Making changes: Developing and educational linguistics. In Hasan, R. & Williams, G. (eds.), Literacy in society. London: Longman, 86–123.Google Scholar
Skillen, J. (2006) Teaching academic writing from the ‘centre’ in Australian universities. In Ganobcsik-Williams, L. (ed.), Teaching academic writing in UK higher education: Theories, practice and models. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 140–153.Google Scholar
Swales, J. M. (1981). Aspects of article introduction. Aston Research Reports, No. 1. Birmingham: University of Aston.Google Scholar
Swales, J. M. (1990). Genre analysis: English in academic and research settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
TEQSA (Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency) (2011). www.teqsa.gov.au/.Google Scholar
Thesen, L. & Pletzen, E. van (eds.) (2006). Academic literacy and the languages of change. London, New York: Continuum.Google Scholar
Turner, J. (2011). Language in the academy: Cultural reflexivity and intercultural dynamics. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Tribble, C. & Wingate, U. (2013). From text to corpus: A genre-based approach to academic literacy instruction. System 41, 307–321.Google Scholar
Walker, M. (2009). An investigation into written comments on assignments: Do students find them usable? Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 34.1, 67–78.Google Scholar
Weaver, M. (2006). Do students value feedback? Student perceptions of tutors’ written responses. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 31.3, 379–394.Google Scholar
Wingate, U. (2011). A comparison of ‘additional’ and ‘embedded’ approaches to teaching writing in the disciplines. In Deane, M. & O'Neill, P (eds.), Writing in the disciplines. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 65–87.Google Scholar
Wingate, U. (2012). ‘Argument!’ Helping students understand what essay writing is about. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 11. 2, 145–154.Google Scholar
Wingate, U. (2015). Academic literacy and student diversity. The case for inclusive practice. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wingate, U. & Tribble, C. (2012). The best of both worlds? Towards an English for Academic Purposes/Academic Literacies writing pedagogy. Studies in Higher Education 37. 4, 481–495.Google Scholar